Oakland, Occupy take stock of the damage
Oakland officials and Occupy protesters confronted the fallout from their increasingly toxic conflict on Sunday, a day after the tensions reignited in chaotic, often violent demonstrations that resulted in at least 400 arrests. As usual, each side blamed the other for sparking the violence.

City officials took stock of the damage from Saturday's clashes, which included injuries to three police officers and several protesters, as well as vandalism inside City Hall.

There, dozens of protesters had broken in with a crowbar, grabbed an American flag, and ignited it on the front steps.

"It's like a tantrum," Mayor Jean Quan said while displaying the damage inside the building, which included a broken model of City Hall she estimated to be 100 years old. "They're treating us like a playground."

San Francisco Chronicle photo: Mayor Jean Quan surveys the damage at City Hall, where vandals knocked over a scale model of the building.

sabrina 1 (23,518 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
3. Quan needs to step down. She has already lost two of her close associates due to her shameful

behavior. To allow a PD known for its long history of brutal behavior towards citizens to go out and brutalize peaceful demonstrators is irresponsible to say the least.

This movement is going to grow over the coming months regardless of the transparent attempts to destroy it. In fact, those attempts, tried already in NY only increases support for the movement, which Global now and growing all over the world.

Shame on Quan. She betrayed those who placed their trust in her and showed her true colors over these past three months.

Go Occupy Oakland, and thank you all for all you are doing and have done. The people are with them, no one is fooled by the lies of the OPD. Their reputation precedes them, and the SFGate has been littered with rightwing trolls. :rolleyes:

sabrina 1 (23,518 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
21. You wish. Thankfully you are apparently unaware of what is going on all over the world. Just wait

until the Spring and Summer when the plans now being made are put into worldwide action.

This movement is going nowhere until changes are made that benefit the American people. Clearly you have not been following this movement. Why any Democrat would wish for the failure of a progressive movement that is so necessary in this country is beyond me. But you will be very disappointed as the growth of the movement worldwide continues as it is already doing and as it evolves over the Spring and Summer and will hopefully have a huge effect, as it already has, on the upcoming elections.

Amusing to see these predictions from the minute the movement began. It was declared dead after the first weekend, then after the second, the third, the second month, the third and yet, it continues to grow.

All over the country this week people are rallying in support of Occupy Oakland. Such events and especially the attempt to silence people, only contribute to further growth of the movement. So, let them keep trying, maybe eventually people like Quan will realize she works for the people, not the corporations, although in her case I think her career is over.Do they really think this will help Democrats get elected?

All it takes is a few agitators to really heat things up. The police have been known to provide their own, if necessary. It isn't really fair to blame Occupy in general for police rioting.

The general tone of the police response is unacceptable. Even if some people are breaking the law, the OPD have no right to declare it a riot and attack any and all protesters and journalists that they please. They are the ones who are initiating the violence and brutality. They can subdue and arrest people who are actually breaking laws, but they don't need to brutalize them in the process.

The OPD have had the shadow of federal intervention over them for some time for this kind of crap. One would think they would be on their best behavior these days, as they've kind of been on probation. I think they have violated their probation.

Perhaps the feds should take over the OPD and insure that rights are protected, but honestly, I wonder if the feds will be any better. Maybe they will be worse. The DOJ under Obama are pretty brutal themselves.They can yell and scream "peaceful protest" all they want, but when they are shown burning flags, throwing rock at police, damaging property and claiming they have the right to "occupy" unoccupied buildings we, the REAL 99% see that it is anything BUT peaceful.

Whoever they are, they acting on their own impetus and without respect for the aims of the movement. Whether they think they are legitimate protestors, or they are (more likely) agents provocateur, they are not part of OWS anymore than lung cancer is 'part' of your respiratory system.If they are with OWS then OWS is responsible for what they do. Especially when OWS blames the police for needing to get physical to stop them instead of giving the police credit for trying to keep the peace and keep them from committing more vandalism.

Jean Quan is an idiot.....her comment just emphasizes how out of touch and clueless she is about what the Occupy movement is about and how her actions and role in all this has "played" out....No clue and no leadership or connection to any of what is going on.....

PS: Sorry to see the nice 100yr model bashed in....guess I just think its more upsetting to see 20 yr old kids heads and bodies bashed in by her police forces....

of course the incident shouldn't have happened - but it's about time the issues of #Occupy be taken seriously - they are fighting for their/our future! If a few models of government buildings end up knocked over in the process - it's not even a blip on the radar compared to the real issues we are facing - long term unemployment, low wages, jobs outsourced, huge income inequality, corporate funded elections, etc.

It's going to get worst. Both the brutality of the police and the number of protests, are going to escalate. Despite what some posters who never attended a rally say, Occupy will be a force throughout the presidential election. It has to. There are no longer any alternatives.

Just look at our American society. No jobs for young adults. Their unemployment numbers are huge. College is so expensive only rich idiots can afford it without taking out crushing debt. What is left for our youth? They can't get jobs, they can't get an education, returning vets come home to joblessness.

The political class is ignoring their complaints. The prevailing business model is criminal cons and scams. The voting machines are rigged and inaccurate. The government enforcement agencies are corrupted. It is a recipe for civil unrest. Every society in history that has allowed their youth to become idle and hopeless has seen a revolt. The powers that be, the 1%, have closed off all the exits. There will be protests in the street. It is a foregone conclusion.

She declares the movement infantile and emotional by her choice of words. This was no "tantrum", this was politically motivated vandalism, the protestors are not children. City Hall is not being used as a "playground", as she states. It is being used as a battleground by citizens determined to change the course of society and history. The Occupy Movement is a people's movement. The "authorities" will keep painting it as inconsequential, but last Monday, there was no broken model on the floor and Jean felt safe on her thrown. Maybe next Monday, there will be no City hall to stand in and say such stupidities? Power to the people. That's right...to the PEOPLE.

And to The Wraith, "law and order" is what the citizens say it is, not what the state says it is. Laws flow from our needs to their bills, don't forget it. Police riot... Well, I guess if it's a battleground then the police are justified in entering the battle to keep the rest of society, the real 99% safe from the OWS 1%.

SarasotaRepub

01-30-2012, 11:43 AM

DUmmies, you idiots actually believed this "movement" was going to stay peaceful???

Your naiveté is stunning.

DumbAss Tanker

02-01-2012, 04:52 PM

link (http://www.democraticunderground.com/101438847)
Do they really think this will help Democrats get elected?